Unit 133, Colorado

The unit covers 576 square miles (368,592 acres) with elevations ranging from 4,772 to 6,576 feet. Terrain is predominantly flat to gently rolling prairie broken by irregular buttes, plateaus, mesas, hills, and major canyon systems. The Apishapa River cuts through the eastern portion of the unit creating steep canyon topography. The unit lies entirely east of I-25 on the southeast Colorado plains, well below the foothills to the west.

The unit is bounded roughly by US Highway 10 on the north, I-25 on the west, and the Apishapa River drainage on the south and east. Approximately 76% of the unit is private land. Key public access areas: (1) Apishapa State Wildlife Area (7,935 acres, GMUs 133 and 134, Las Animas County) — open to the public August 16 through May 31; requires valid hunting/fishing license or SWA pass for visitors 16 and older; camping permitted in designated parking areas during big game seasons and 3 days before/after each season; reached from Walsenburg via I-25 to Highway 10 east 18.5 miles, south on CR 77 for 7 miles, then east on CR 90 for 11 miles. (2) Apishapa North State Trust Lands (1,880 acres, GMU 133, Las Animas County) — open September 1 through end of February; motor vehicles prohibited past designated parking lot; foot and horseback access only; directions same as Apishapa SWA. (3) Flat Top Butte State Trust Land (2,052 acres, GMU 133) — open September 1 through February 28; foot or horseback only; accessed from I-25 exit 34 at Aguilar, east on CR 60 for 10 miles, north on CR 75 for 2 miles, east on CR 64 for 2 miles, then north on CR 79 for 6 miles to parking (directions per GoHunt — not independently verified from CPW page). BLM lands within the unit provide approximately 1,280 acres of dispersed access via the county road system. Nearest services are in Walsenburg and Trinidad along I-25, and La Junta to the east on US 50. No National Forest lands or designated wilderness exist within the unit. Hunters should obtain written permission before accessing private parcels.

Dominant cover is shortgrass prairie composed of blue grama and buffalo grass. Secondary vegetation includes sagebrush, yucca, prickly pear cactus, and sandsage on open flats. Pinyon-juniper woodland covers the hills and ridge systems. Cottonwood riparian corridors line creek and river drainages, particularly along the Apishapa River. Scattered dryland farming areas occur in the northern portion of the unit near Highway 10.

Mule deer inhabit the canyon systems and pinyon-juniper ridges, with the Apishapa River drainage supporting the best concentrations. Pronghorn range throughout the northern three-quarters of the unit on open prairie flats; rut peaks mid-September and can concentrate bucks on open terrain. Elk are present in the pinyon-juniper and canyon habitat along the Apishapa River drainage, though most elk-holding land is private. The Apishapa SWA supports bighorn sheep (SWA-specific, no unit-level draw data available). The unit also hosts scaled quail, mourning dove, rabbit, bobcat, coyote, black bear, and mountain lion. Deer and elk typically concentrate in deeper canyon systems and pinyon-juniper during rifle seasons.

Public land pct (24%) from HuntScore (76% private / 24% public: 16% state, 8% other); GoHunt reports 10.9% — discrepancy likely reflects exclusion of state trust lands from GoHunt's definition. 24% used as more inclusive figure, flagged low-confidence. Apishapa North acreage 1,880 confirmed by CPW official page; GoHunt's 18,880 figure is a data error. Wild turkey omitted from species_data — not listed on Apishapa SWA or Apishapa North CPW pages; no unit-level turkey data confirmed. Bighorn sheep noted at Apishapa SWA per CPW page but no unit-level draw data found; omitted from species_data. OTC archery elk code E-F-133-U1-A for nonresident either-sex confirmed by Bear Creek Archery for 2026. Rifle season structure (mountain vs. plains east-of-I-25) for elk in GMU 133 unconfirmed; 2026 CPW Big Game Brochure PDF too large to parse — verify before publishing. Flat Top Butte State Trust Land CPW page returned 404; directions retained from GoHunt but flagged unverified. All season dates marked approximate where not confirmed from a 2026 primary CPW source. Overall 2022 harvest data from HuntScore: 449 total hunters, 178 total harvest, 37% success rate (all species combined).